KFP: A New Journey
by Firespitter101
Summary: She has heard of the Valley of Peace, the Jade Palace, and the amazingly awesome Furious Five, defenders of the weak and innocent, and bringers of justice, since she was young. It has always been her dream to become a kung fu master like them, and now she has her chance. Will she be accepted? And is there a new evil lurking on the horizon, waiting for the right time to strike?
1. Leaving Home

**Hey guys, this is my first fan fic, and I would like read your opinions on it, and any suggestions or criticisms you may have. Hope you enjoy. Please, read ****and review!**

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><p><strong><em>Chapter 1: Leaving Home<em>**

All was quiet and calm with the world, peaceful and serene. The air was soft and warm, prophesying of another pleasant summer day. The sun's rays shone brightly through the small window above a sleeping mat, upon which lay a young female leopard. Nothing could disturb the tranquility of this early morning hour. Or so Ming thought. _CREAK!_ Even though her younger brother was very skilled in stealth from years of experience, the old wooden door to her room still gave away the knowledge of his presence. As soon as the door had voiced its displeasure of being moved, the noise stopped immediately. Ming still had her eyes closed, however she pricked her ears, listening very closely, unconsciously tensed with anticipation.

For what seemed like ages, silence reigned throughout the house. Not a sound was heard, no silent breathing, no rustle of clothing, no stealthy footsteps. Cracking an eye open slightly, Ming set her gaze upon the door, watching intently for any sign of movement. Minutes passed, but nothing happened. Ming slowly began to sit up on her mat, keeping her gaze locked on the door, and listening very hard for any sound which might betray her brother again. Getting up slowly, she cautiously walked to the door, silently, her footsteps giving forth no sound.

Halfway across her room, she heard a slight sound coming from her window, and whirled around to face the unseen attacker. _HYAAAA! _A yellow blur launched itself at her from the window, trying to take her by surprise. However, Ming dropped on all fours as soon as she glimpsed the intruder, causing him to fly over her head and collide with the wall. _Ooof!_ The figure groaned as he made contact with the wall, stopping him in his tracks. With lightning quick speed, Ming grabbed the intruder and pinned him down tightly. The figure, a yellow leopard, not unlike Ming, struggled for a moment, before letting out a loud sigh.

"Awwwww Ming! I almost had you!." the young leopard whined.

Ming chuckled. "The door gave you away Jun," she laughed, "So therefore I was prepared for you. Your stealth has improved much in the last month however; if you had not made that sound by the window, you would've had me."

Jun sighed again. "Yea, I lost my balance coming through the window, and my paw scraped against the sill as I was trying to support myself. As soon as I heard the sound, I leaped for you, knowing that I had to be fast if I was to try and take you. But you were too fast for me." he pouted.

Ming got up off her brother, and held out a hand to help him up. Jun ignored it however, and with a small grunt, pushed himself to his feet.

"Jun," Ming said, "You did very well. If you had been against someone else, you would most definitely have won."

Jun considered this for a moment, then said, "Yea, but nobody else challenges me to be so quiet, so careful, as you."

Ming smiled. "But what about mother and father?"

"Yea, I guess they are challenging. But they don't play this game much any more. It's just you and me." Jun replied with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Ming was quiet for a moment, before putting her paws on her brother's shoulders. "Jun, this may be a game right now, but one day, it might be the difference between life and death. You remember what happened the last time."

Jun nodded his head slowly, pain coming into his eyes as the memory came back again.

_**Five years ago..**_

_Screams and cries tore through the air as villagers—pigs, goats, sheep, etc—ran to and fro, trying to escape a large pack of wolves bearing down up them. The wolves were barking and howling as they tore down upon their victims, wielding all sorts of axes, swords, and spears. _

_Ming and Jun were hiding behind a large rock a short distance away from the village just like their father had instructed them, with some of the other village children. Never had Ming been so scared in all her life. She feared not only for her mother and brother, but also for the villagers who were in the midst of the conflict; and for her father, who was fighting the wolf pack with her three uncles._

_In the midst of her thoughts, Ming failed to notice a couple wolves sneak up on them until it was too late. With a loud snarl they charged, and as she let out a loud scream, from out of nowhere her father appeared. Fury was written on his countenance, as he charged the two wolves who dared to sneak up upon his children. The wolves fought strongly for a moment, however they found they were no match for the enraged father, who bore down upon them relentlessly. No one, no matter who they were, was going to take his children, or harm them in any way._

_The wolves turned tail and ran away, but not before Ming's father had brought some heavy blows to bear upon them. He checked to see that Ming and Jun were safe and unharmed, as well as the other children, before charging back into the fray below them in the village. _

_Later, when the wolves were vanquished and had fled, Ming and Jun came down from the rock where they had hid, and holding tightly to their father's hands, gazed upon the destruction that had been wrought in the village, which they called their home. Many of the buildings were severely damaged, some were half burnt, while others were completely destroyed. None of the villagers had come away unscathed, in one way or another. Most were injured, some seriously. Amazingly however, nobody had died. This comforting fact shone like a bright light at the end of a tunnel, something to be thankful for._

Ming and Jun stood in silence for a few minutes, recounting that day, and what followed after; the village had been rebuilt, and everyone picked up their lives and continued forward, but not without carrying the horrible memory that the attack had left with them. Ming's father and uncles were skilled in the art of kung fu; and some of the villagers, who wanted to learn some of this kung fu in order to protect their families, should anything like this ever happen again, came to them to learn how to defend themselves.

Ever since then, whenever some croc, wolf, or buffalo bandits came to the village, looking for easy pickings, the villagers were able to fight them off successfully, with some help now and then from Ming's father and her uncles.

Not long after the incident, Ming and her brother began training in the art of kung fu. Taught by their father they soon became the best youths in the village; where once every year from then on after the attack was held a kung fu tournament, in which everyone could compete, in their respective age groups, of course.

Their father, and coach, always encouraged them, corrected their stances or techniques, and reminded them that to be the best, they must always continue to train, and to push themselves, and that everything they needed to be the best was already inside of them. They only had to bring it out.

So they trained hard, every time they pushed themselves to hit faster and harder, to hold a stance longer, to complete a technique smoother, until they had learned everything their father knew. Even then they continued to train, making up new techniques and moves, going beyond everything they had been given.

Ming and Jun competed with each other every day, to see who could be faster, smoother, stealthier. Those times were the best memories for each, and even though one might win against the other, or lose, or they both tie, they knew that being better than the other was not the key, the ultimate purpose. It was always to better and to improve themselves. Sure they had their disagreements and arguments, but they always made up. They were brother and sister, tightly linked on and off the training mat, and they would never come apart, not for anything, not for anyone. Family sticks together.

Ming and Jun had been born and raised in this village, called Linjiang, Forest River, and had never really traveled far beyond it. A couple times they had visited one of the neighboring villages, but the nearest one was about a day's journey away, so they never went often.

Today however, was a very special, important day. Ming had just recently turned sixteen, and had completed her studies at the village school. Jun was fourteen, and had two years to go before he would be done. Now that Ming was finished, she could go anywhere she pleased, as per agreement with her parents. And there was one place that she had always wanted to go to, nay, had dreamed of going. The Valley of Peace, where dwelt some of China's greatest kung fu masters, protectors of the weak, warriors of good against evil. When she was young, she heard stories of the great Furious Five, stories that captured her imagination, inspired her in training, and gave her the dream of being one of the greatest masters of kung fu in China. She loved kung fu, and she also wanted to protect and defend those who couldn't defend themselves. Her brother also aspired to being a kung fu master, however he was not old enough to go out on his own to receive higher training. Both of their parents had made an agreement with them: They must finish their studies first, and then after they turn sixteen, they could go and continue their training to become kung fu masters. Ming had fulfilled the agreement, and today she was setting out to pursue her dream.

_CREAK!_ The wooden door to her parent's bedroom opened, snapping both siblings out of their thoughts, as two pairs of footsteps could be heard, one traveling toward the kitchen, while the other headed outside. As Ming remembered what today meant for her, she was filled with excitement and anticipation. She smiled at her brother and said, "Come on Jun, let's go help mother and father get breakfast."

Jun rubbed his stomach, "Mmm, sounds good." he laughed.

Ming chuckled, and together they both stepped out of the bedroom and headed for the kitchen.

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><p>After breakfast was over, Ming returned to her room to pack her things. In a wooden chest by her sleeping mat were two form-fitting vests, one was a soft gray color sporting a white orchid design, and the other was a rich blue color, without any design, but her favorite none the less. She took them both out, refolded them neatly, and placed them in her sack. Looking back into the chest she saw her two other pairs of training pants, one black, and one dark gray. She took those out also, and packed them away. There was also a wrap skirt near the bottom of the chest, similar to the purple one she was wearing over her pants, but in a deep blue color, just like her other vest.<p>

Finally, she took out a dark blue hooded cloak. Burying her face in it, she breathed in the beautiful wood scent that lingered on it from lying in the chest. Softly tracing the high quality thread work seams, she remembered the day her mother had presented this to her for her sixteenth birthday. She smiled as she recalled it; the day's training had been extra hard and extra long; and after it was finished, all she wanted to do was throw herself down on the ground, and never move again. But when she came back to the house, her mother brought out the cloak that she had made herself. Ming had carefully touched it, admiring the needlework and the softness of the fabric, before lifting her eyes to meet her mother's gaze. The look her mother gave her was filled with love, a special love, for her special daughter. Ming had thrown her arms around her mother, and hugged her tightly, saying "Thank you, mother." When they pulled apart, both mother and daughter looked at each other with glistening eyes; mother with pride and joy for her daughter who had grown up to be a beautiful young woman, both on the surface, and especially on the inside; and daughter with love and affection for her beloved mother, who had helped her, and guided her, and nurtured her throughout her life.

Ming's eyes were suspiciously wet when she had finished thinking back, and she used her cloak to dab the extra liquid away, before placing it into her pack.

After she had finished packing away her clothes, Ming stood up, and took one final look at her room. True, it was pretty plain; there was her sleeping mat in the corner by the window away from the door; the wooden chest against the wall down from the mat; a couple kung fu posters on the walls, and a family picture depicting her father, mother, brother, and herself. It wasn't much, but it was her room, in her house. Ming sighed, then shook herself. No, she would not be feeling sad or down. Today was the start of the next chapter in her life; she would be traveling to a new place, and perhaps a new home, if she was accepted to train. A small seed of doubt entered her mind about whether she would be accepted, but she quickly brushed that thought away.

Stepping out of her room, she headed for the kitchen in the main part of the house. There she saw her mother, who was finishing up with the dishes before she saw her daughter off. Hearing her footsteps, her mother turned around and smiled at her daughter. "Go outside, I will be there in a moment."

Ming smiled and turned to the door. Opening it, she was greeted by the sounds of laughter as young village children played on the ground nearby. Her father and brother, along with her three uncles and their families, were all engaged in lively conversation by the house.

Walking over to her family, she was greeted first by her oldest uncle, Jian, who hugged her tightly and told her how proud he was that she was his niece. Zhu and Chao-Fai, her other uncles, also hugged, and wished her luck and fortune on her journey. However, none was so proud and affectionate as was Ming's father, Li-Guo. He gazed upon her fondly, reminiscing how his little daughter was all grown up now. And if Jun was sad, he did his best not to show it in front of everyone.

Finally, the door to the house opened, and Ming's mother stepped out. Nuan-Shu walked with perfect grace, as she strode forward to meet her daughter. She was holding a small bag, which she placed in Ming's paws as soon as she reached her. Ming opened the bag and sniffed, _"Ahhh, my favorite, dumplings and bean buns." _was what she thought before closing the bag and smiling at her mother. Her mother embraced her warmly for a long moment, before pulling back to look at her daughter's face. "May you have a safe journey, Ming. I love you very much. And don't forget to write."

Ming laughed as she nodded her head, "I love you to, mother. And don't worry, I won't forget."

Ming placed the small bag that her mother had given her into her pack, and turned to say farewell to everyone. "Goodbye everyone. I love you all, and I'll miss you. When I get there I'll write, so don't worry. But now I must go. I'll see you all again sometime."

A chorus of goodbye's, miss you's, and see you soon's rang out as Ming waved farewell to her family, before turning her back and setting out on her journey to the Valley of Peace.


	2. The Valley of Peace

**Thank you Komodo23 for your great review. Your comments motivate me to work hard on my writing, so as to bring out the best chapters I can to keep your interest going. To you, and all the others who have read my story, please enjoy this new chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: The Valley of Peace<strong>

Ming drew a paw across her face, wiping away the sweat droplets that had formed while she was walking. She glanced up at the sun, remarking to herself, "Gee, is that sun ever warm today."

It was the fifth day she had been traveling, since leaving Linjiang, and so far she had not come across many villages. She had already finished off the snack that her mother had packed for her the first evening she had been out, and since then had only eaten a few times, at a couple of small villages she would find in the dense forest.

Her stomach now began to voice its discontent for the third, or was it the fourth? time since she had started that morning. Looking up at the sun again, she saw that lunch hour had already gone by, and it was now early in the afternoon. Ming peered ahead, to see if she could make out any village coming up along her path, which would have some food to satisfy her voracious appetite. Nothing. Oh well, she wasn't going to think about food right now. She had to keep alert, you never know when some bandits might come along and decide to attack.

As if on cue, the sound of a stick snapping brought her senses to full alert. Whirling around, she dropped her pack to the ground beside her, and focused on the forest in front of her, her eyes darting to and fro across the greenery, watching for the slightest movement. A sharp cry came to her ears, and then about half a dozen croc bandits emerged from some bushes from where the sound had originated, and charged her, wildly wielding their weapons.

Ming immediately took up a fighting stance, and waited for the bandits to come close enough. She held her position until the nearest croc was only a few feet away from her, before she dropped down into a crouch, and twisted her legs forward in a sweep kick that knocked the bandit to the ground with a noticeable thud. A split second later she had leaped over the croc, and made contact with another bandit.

The second croc tried to bring his sword down to slash her, but she dodged it easily, and a moment later he found himself flying through air, after her powerful kick had connected with his midsection.

As soon as she had delivered that kick to the second bandit, she felt a swift breeze touch her fur, and jumped to the left just in time to avoid being cut by the sword of another bandit, which had almost grazed her right arm. There were only four bandits left now, and they were approaching cautiously, forming a wide semi-circle around her as they came closer.

Ming eyed all four bandits warily, waiting for them to make the first move. At a signal, the remaining crocs rushed forward simultaneously, looking for an opportunity to strike. Ming saw her chance in their charge, and dashing to her right caught the end-bandit off guard as she threw several lightning fast punches toward his face. He never saw it coming, and a couple of swift kicks later found him lying facing down on the ground, unmoving.

The three bandits that were left were now displaying some slight fear in their eyes. They had thought that Ming would be easy prey, a girl, traveling through the forest alone, with no male protection. They were shocked to find that she was skilled in kung fu, and had already taken down half their number in less than a minute. They stood off a ways from her, exchanging glances with each other, uncertain as to what to do next.

Ming dropped into her base stance, narrowed her eyes, and with a slight smirk on her face, made the "Come at me," gesture with her right paw. The three crocs hesitated momentarily, before charging once more. Ming had just been warming up while dealing with the other three bandits, but now she wanted to be on her way; so, without waiting for them to come to her, she herself charged ferociously with a loud growl, catching them off guard.

In the blink of an eye she had felled the remaining crocs, without even becoming winded. Standing up straight now, her gaze flitted among all six bandits, making sure they were indeed down, and that none of them were pretending to be unconscious.

Satisfied that none of the bandits retained any threatening status, Ming turned and walked back to where she had left her pack. She did not have any rope to tie up the bandits, so she had no choice but to leave them where they lay. However, she would alert the inhabitants of the next village she came across of the bandits location, and maybe they could be rounded up before they cleared their heads and escaped. Ming was not hopeful in this course of thought however, as there were no signs that she would be reaching a village any time soon.

Shouldering her pack once again, Ming began to travel at a brisk pace wanting to cover much more ground before the sun set. There was no doubt she could travel at night, for her it would be much easier than most others, thanks to her wonderful night vision. However, there was no rush to get to the Jade Palace, and she still needed rest now and again. Ming figured that she had about two-and-a-half more days of walking before she reached the Valley of Peace.

That thought in mind, and with all considerations of food pushed away, due to the little distraction that had presented itself in the case of the croc bandits, Ming pushed on tirelessly toward her goal, her thoughts flying in all directions as she anticipated what she would find upon arriving in the Valley of Peace.

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><p>The bright sun's rays shone into Ming's face, awaking her with a small grunt. Today marked an entire week since she had left home, and perhaps the final day of her continued traveling.<p>

Ming sat up with a yawn, and gave a luxurious stretch as her eyes adjusted to the bright light which was filtering down through the bamboo stalks. She had slept wonderfully, after coming across a village the night before, from which she was able to buy a meal. The day before yesterday she had not found anything to eat, and therefore had to go to sleep hungry. However, that was remedied the next day around lunch, when she saw a wagon going up a small road which cut through the forest, pulled by a small-time merchant, who had food and other wares that he was going around selling. Since she had no pot to cook rice in, Ming chose a peach and two apples, and gave the merchant a couple of gold coins for them.

Early that evening, she came to a village, where she had a nice hot meal, before continuing on her way. That night she had slept in the forest, using her pack as a pillow.

Ming now stood up, and shook herself to loosen up the muscles. Then she began to go through her forms, slowly at first, then picking up speed, moving faster and faster. Only when she had completely warmed up did she stop, and taking an apple out of her bag—the only one she had left over from yesterday—she chowed down on it with a seemingly ravenous appetite.

After finishing her small breakfast, Ming started off again, this time at a trot, hoping to reach the Valley of Peace before late afternoon.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and it wasn't long before Ming reached the outskirts of the Valley. The sights and sounds which met her ears as she slackened her pace upon entering were a welcome refresher from the stillness of the forest.

Walking up the first street she came to, Ming looked left and right with curiosity at the many buildings which came into view. Of course, as in her village, all of the structures were white washed and had black tile roofs, but she had never seen so many houses and buildings together before in one place. Also, the streets were bustling with activity, as sheep, goats, pigs, etc, walked and ran to and fro, going about their daily business.

As Ming walked up and down the streets of the busy village, she couldn't help but notice there wasn't any lacking in places to eat and rest. The only explanation for this seemed that there must be a lot of business coming in from outside the Valley on a regular basis.

After exploring most of the village streets, Ming turned her attention to getting something to eat. She remembered a restaurant that had caught her eye a little while ago, so she returned to check it out.

When Ming finally found the place again after a few minutes of searching, she approached the entrance, and read the sign out loud, "Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu."

_Hmm, this must be where the Dragon Warrior's dad lives. I wonder if Po will be helping his dad out today._

Of course, how could anyone know about Po, without knowing about his dad, Mr. Ping, whose noodle-making skills were deemed extraordinary by everyone in the Valley? Exactly. And this was the reason why Ming chose to eat here, because Mr. Ping was the Dragon Warrior's dad, as well as because of his famed noodles.

As she stepped through the archway, her nose was greeted by mouth watering smells, and her ears were perked as she took in all the sounds. She could hear Mr. Ping's voice as he was talking to the customers, and immediately made a mental note of it for future remembrance.

"Yes Mrs. Yoon, Po is doing just fine with his training. Oh, and here is your noodle soup." Mr. Ping was saying.

"Thank you, Mr. Ping." Mrs. Yoon replied happily.

"Oh, no trouble at all, Mrs. Yoon." Mr. Ping returned smiling.

Ming looked around for a moment, but did not see the Dragon Warrior about; so she searched for an empty table, and finally spied one on the left side of the shop by the wall. Almost as soon as she sat down, Mr. Ping was right there, ready to take her order.

"And what may I get for you, Miss..." Mr. Ping began.

"Ming," she replied, "My name is Ming. And I would like a bowl of your Secret Ingredient Soup, Mr. Ping."

"Sure, Miss Ming," Mr. Ping said, "Are you just passing through, or will you be staying around?" he asked, curious about this newcomer.

Ming smiled and said, "I just arrived here, and if everything goes well, I will be staying."

"Ahhh," Mr. Ping said, smiling, before waddling away to the kitchen.

As Ming sat at the table, waiting for her food to arrive, she fiddled around with her paws, vest, and skirt, as she nervously contemplated her arrival at the Jade Palace. She had only heard stories of the Furious Five and their accomplishments, and of their teacher, Master Shifu; of Po, the Dragon Warrior; and of former Grandmaster Oogway, who had passed on some time ago. She wondered what they would be like when she would see them for the first time. Then she wondered what Master Shifu would say and do, when she requested to train as a student at the Jade Palace.

All these thoughts and more were rushing through her mind, so that she was almost completely oblivious to Mr. Ping when he set her soup in front of her.

"There you go, Miss." he said, "Enjoy."

"Thank you, Mr. Ping." she replied, picking up her chopsticks.

As the first bite entered her mouth, her taste buds were hit with a variety of delicious flavors, coming from the soup, spices, and vegetables, which made her gasp. "This _is_ amazing!" she exclaimed, and began to shovel the rest of the bowl's contents into her mouth, marveling at the delightful tastes she was experiencing.

When Ming had finished eating the noodles, and drained the bowl dry, she leaned back in her chair and gave a contented sigh. _They were right, _she thought to herself, _these noodles are the best. All the flavors... Amazing..._

Her thoughts were interrupted as Mr. Ping came back to the table. "Would you like anything else, Miss?" he asked.

"No thank you," Ming laughed, "Those noodles were amazing though."

Mr. Ping smiled, "Why thank you."

Ming gave Mr. Ping a couple coins for the meal, "Thanks again Mr. Ping, I'll see you around!" she said as she left the restaurant.

"Bye!" Mr. Ping called after her.

_Alright,_ Ming thought to herself as she stood outside the shop, _now off to the Jade Palace to see Master Shifu._ Ming felt giddy as she thought about meeting the Furious Five. _No! _She stopped herself, _Focus, first things first. Talk to Master Shifu about training at the Jade Palace. After that's done, then I can meet the Five. Maybe, unless they're training._

Ming turned and walked to the corner of Mr. Ping's shop, where the street intersected another leading to the Jade Palace. Turning up the intersecting street, she walked toward the bottom of the Thousand Stairs. Once there, she raised her eyes and looked up at the palace, which she could see in the distance.

"Here goes nothing." she said as she began to ascend the stairs.


	3. The Test

**I'm sure you've been waiting for this, so here it is. I know it's been a while, but I think you'll find it worth it.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: The Test<strong>

Reaching the top of the stairs had taken longer than Ming anticipated. She finally arrived, however, and there she stood, just in front of the Jade Palace.

Looking around her, Ming took in the layout of the palace grounds from her vantage point. As she gazed below, she was amazed by how spread out the Valley of Peace was. Small waterways cut through and divided it, and tiny specks for boats could be seen floating on the water. To the east and west she could see many rice paddy farms clustered together, divided only by the lines of green growth between them.

As her gaze traveled to the steps, she saw the Jade Palace arena below her, where hundreds of spectators had been assembled when Grandmaster Oogway had chosen the Dragon Warrior. Above it, and off to the right, stood the bell tower, with its two spiked, metal gongs, standing alone on a small part of the mountain that jutted away from the main body.

As Ming was taking in the beautiful surroundings below her, and marveling at the view she would be able to take in at any time if she were to stay here, her thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Uhh, Miss?" the voice asked.

Ming turned around to behold a black goose, dressed in a fine blue and gold palace uniform. _One of the Jade Palace servants, no doubt._

"Excuse me," Ming began, "I am here to see Master Shifu. Do you know of his whereabouts?"

"Yes Miss," the goose replied, "He is in the Hall of Heroes. If you will follow me." the goose motioned for her to come with him, as he headed to the door of the palace.

Ming followed the goose as he went up to the door and opened it. The interior workmanship of the Jade Palace was just as amazing as its magnificent display of colors on the outside walls. Even more so. Ming was rightly awed as she gazed upon the great granite pillars. _This must have cost a fortune. _Indeed she wasn't far from the truth. Even for the Emperor of China this grand artistic work would have been nothing to sneeze at in terms of money.

As she continued to admire the columns, her gaze traveling further down on each successive pillar, her eyes finally noticed a small figure sitting near the end of the room.

"Master Shifu," the goose called, "There is someone here to see you."

The figure slowly rose, and turned around, so that he was facing Ming. Her eyes beheld a red panda, dressed in what appeared to be a brown robe with a green cloak over top of it. Immediately she knew that this was Master Shifu, firstly as there was no other red panda in the Valley of Peace, and secondly because the goose had already confirmed it.

"Thank you, Zhou." Master Shifu dismissed.

The goose turned away and left them both alone in the Hall.

Ming stepped forward and bowed, greeting Master Shifu with the customary kung fu salute. "Master Shifu," she began, "it is an honor to meet you."

Master Shifu returned the salute. "And what brings you here, Miss..." he questioned, slowly approaching her.

Ming finished bowing and said, "My name is Ming, Master Shifu; and I have a request. I wish to become a student here at the Jade Palace."

Master Shifu froze in mid-stride, his features becoming unreadable. Ming was nervous. Had she angered him? Would he reject her application? What was he thinking? All these thoughts flew through her mind like lightning as she watched Master Shifu's face for any expression which might clue her in as to what his thoughts were. However, his face remained inscrutable.

Only moments had passed since she had spoken, but for Ming it seemed like ages while Master Shifu pondered her request.

Finally, he said, "It is not an easy thing to train here. To become a student at the Jade Palace you must demonstrate that you are entirely dedicated to your training, whatever training that may be, and whenever it may be. There are no shortcuts; we have no room for slackers here." Master Shifu eyed Ming as he said this, however her expression revealed no flinching, nor any sign of weakness at his words.

Ming then replied, "I did not come here to be famous, or to have an easy time. I came here to learn, to better myself; to become the best that I can be, however long that may take."

He contemplated her words for a moment, before replying. "I will give you a chance." he said. "For one week, you will train and spar with the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior; you will train when they train, you will eat when they eat, you will sleep when they sleep, you will rise when they rise. If you prove yourself worthy at the end of that time, you shall be accepted as a student of the Jade Palace. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly, Master Shifu." Ming replied, and bowed.

"Very well," he said, "Follow me, I shall show you where you will be staying."

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><p>Master Shifu had taken Ming down to the student barracks, and pointed out her room, which was right beside Po's—to the left of it; then had led her to the Training Hall, where the Furious Five and Dragon Warrior were going about their daily training.<p>

Upon their arrival at the Training Hall, Ming saw that the courtyard was empty; however both she and Master Shifu could hear by the cries coming from within the Training Hall that the masters were inside.

Master Shifu calmly went up the stairs, his manner betokening that nothing was amiss, and that this was just the normal routine. Ming noted this, however that did not stop her ears from keenly listening to the noises inside.

Opening one of the doors, Master Shifu stepped inside and led the way down a short flight of stairs that ended on the main floor of the Training Hall, a large rectangular building that housed the most dangerous training course in all of China.

Ming's gaze darted throughout the Hall, taking in the layout of the training course; a few dummies leaning up against the walls on either side of the room, several weapons' racks containing a various array of axes, swords, maces, etc; the training gauntlet in the middle of all this, sunken into the ground; and the Furious Five in the middle of that.

Each of the Five were spread out at a different station. Master Tigress was balancing on the station containing the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion; consisting of several twisted, moving logs that spun around and around, while blocking blows from some massive chunks of swinging wood that had intimidating looking spikes protruding from one side.

Just beyond and above her, Ming spied Master Monkey, swinging on the Seven-Talon Rings, several wooden rings with curled metal claws that hung from the ceiling. So graceful was he in fact, that his movements seemed almost effortless. Ming wondered if he had ever missed his hold on the rings and gotten injured from those sharp talons.

A white flash of movement catching her eye, Ming's gaze darted to Master Crane, who was practicing his forms on the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom, an enormous bowl of green jade that Grandmaster Oogway had received as a gift many years ago. The control of balance which he demonstrated as he performed the characteristic moves associated with his unique style of kung fu greatly impressed Ming as she watched.

Further ahead, a smaller gauntlet of wooden figures studded with metal spikes was in quick motion, as a green streak flashed in and out through the line of wooden warriors. Wood struck on wood in a futile attempt to hit the smallest kung fu warrior in all of China: Master Mantis. Ming could not see him, but she could most definitely hear the sounds of his inanimate opponents trying their hardest to catch him. All to no avail. He was too fast for the mechanisms in the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors to tag him. Good thing to, for it appeared as if those things would deal some serious damage if one were to be hit by them.

Standing on tip toes now, Ming could just make out the final station at the end of the Training Hall: The Field of Fiery Death. Hot flames were shooting out of the black metal pipe surface, on which a green snake was dancing, slithering, darting around the flames, not letting any touch her. It was Master Viper, daughter of the Great Master Viper, who danced with such grace and flexibility.

Not one of the five masters seemed to notice the two newcomers until Master Shifu cleared his throat and said, "Students!"

Immediately the Five stopped what they were doing and hurried over to their master. But someone was missing.

"Where is Po?" Master Shifu asked.

"He went to the kitchen a little while ago," Monkey said, "He said he was getting a snack."

Just then, a foreign noise behind Ming and Master Shifu caught their attention, causing them to turn around to the door of the Training Hall. The sound of a heavily breathing panda reached their ears, as the Dragon Warrior came down the steps.

"Po!" Master Shifu said.

"Uhh, yes Master Shifu?" Po replied, somewhat nervously upon reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Haven't I told you before, no snacks during training?"

"Yes, Master Shifu." Po answered.

"So, since you have thought it better to satisfy your appetite rather than obey your master, you will run the training course five times through as fast as you can, without any breaks."

"B-b-ut Master-" Po began, but was silenced by a glare from Master Shifu.

After Master Shifu had rebuked his student, he turned to the Five, whose side Po had joined.

"Students, this is Ming. Ming, this is Master Tigress, Master Monkey, Master Crane, Master Mantis, Master Viper, and Po, the Dragon Warrior."

Ming bowed to the Five and the Dragon Warrior, who returned her salute with bows of their own.

"Ming has requested to train with us here at the Jade Palace as a student. I have agreed, but only on one condition." Master Shifu explained. "She will be training with you on the regular schedule for one week as a test. If she passes, she will become a student here."

The Five and the Dragon Warrior exchanged glances with each other before looking back at their master. Viper was the first to speak up.

"Welcome to the Jade Palace, Ming. I hope you pass Master Shifu's test." she said.

Her greeting was followed in chorus by the rest of the Five and Po, who welcomed her and wished her luck.

"Thank you," Ming said. "It is an honor to be here. I shall give it my very best."

"And you should do no less." Shifu said, "Your time begins now. We will start with a demonstration of what you know. Do some basic forms."

Ming walked over to a clear space on the floor around the gauntlet, and dropped into a low stance, her right foot in front of her, and her left behind, bringing up her arms in front of her, her left arm at her side, and her right arm in front of her body. Slowly she began to go through her forms, just like she had earlier that morning. Increasing her speed smoothly and efficiently, she transitioned into performing harder moves, pushing the difficulty level higher and higher, until she had finished demonstrating all the moves that she knew.

Turning back to the watching masters, she was surprised to see looks of amazement on their faces.

"Wow," Monkey exclaimed, "I've never seen some of those moves before. Where did you learn them?"

"Well, some of them I learned from my father, and some of them my brother and I invented." Ming said. "We were always trying something new, a single move or a combination attack that would confuse our opponent, and make them falter so we could take them down."

"Have you ever actually fought before?" Master Shifu asked.

"Yes, in my home village, on an occasional bandit attack." Ming replied.

"Very well then. Sparring shall be next." Master Shifu said, and turned back up the stairs to go out of the Training Hall, followed by the Five, Po, and Ming. Upon reaching the courtyard, Shifu stopped and turned, facing them.

"Monkey, you will spar with Ming." Both Ming and Monkey moved to the center of the ring in the courtyard.

"The match is over when one of you is effectively pinned down by the other." Shifu explained.

Monkey and Ming exchanged customary bows before getting into their ready stances.

"Begin!"

Monkey rushed at Ming, who dropped into a low crouch, backing away and to the right of him. He threw out some searching punches, trying to determine if there was any gap in Ming's defense. Ming however was on her guard, and blocked them effectively, at the same time throwing some test punches of her own, before backing off again to make a small gap between them.

Both opponents circled each other warily, their gazes focused on nothing else but on their adversary in front of them. Ming saw her opportunity and charged Monkey, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks that he could barely do more than block. She pressed him back, slowly but surely, keeping her guard up as she attacked.

In the midst of the furious onslaught of blows that Monkey was blocking as fast as Ming could send them, they suddenly came to a halt. He looked up just in time to see her coming down upon him with a high aerial kick, and sidestepped neatly, so that she landed on empty ground.

Seeing his chance, Monkey advanced rapidly upon her as she landed, trying to catch her off balance. Ming could see him coming at her hard and fast out of the corner of her eye, but could not do much to save herself, other than quickly lock down into a low stance.

Monkey was able to land a couple of punches to Ming's left side, but she promptly brought up her defense, rendering his next few attacks fruitless. He then began to try to make Ming lose her balance by aiming several swift kicks to her legs.

Ming was unable to shift her position properly in order to defend herself, and so she fell to the ground. Monkey swiftly pinned her arms down, but she managed to bring her legs up and deliver a powerful kick to his midsection, causing him to fly backwards, freeing herself.

Rolling over onto her stomach, and now on all fours, Ming sprang at Monkey, who had just recovered from being thrown back. They both went down to the ground, and rolled over once before coming to a halt, both opponents locked in epic struggle with each other. Arms were almost useless now, since the two adversaries had grasped the other's in order to defend themselves from being pinned.

However, legs were quite free, and both opponents used this to their advantage, trying to kick each other off of themselves.

Neither Monkey nor Ming wanted to be defeated in this bout of sparring, and so each gave it their all against the other. Moments seemed like ages as both antagonists fiercely grappled for supremacy.

Monkey was slowly pushing Ming's arms down to her sides, while using his legs to keep her own from moving. Finally, her arms touched the ground, and she could do little more than struggle.

Ming realized that she had lost, and relaxed, signaling her surrender. Monkey released his hold, and both students stood up and faced Master Shifu as he came toward them.

"Well done." he said.

"Thank you, Master Shifu." Ming replied, "Master Monkey was a worthy opponent." she said.

"Please, call me Monkey. You weren't bad yourself." Monkey returned the compliment.

Master Shifu eyed them both a moment before turning to the others. "You are all relieved for the rest of the day from training, however I expect you to be in top condition for tomorrow." he told his students.

Po perked up on hearing this, but his face quickly fell upon seeing Master Shifu glance toward him.

"Except for you, Po," he said, "You still have to run the training course. Once you are finished, then you may be done for the day."

Po sighed and said, "Yes, Master." before going back inside the Training Hall.

The other masters were happy on hearing that they had a reprieve from training that day, and began heading off in different directions to spend their free time as they pleased.

Ming returned to the student barracks to unpack her stuff and get settled in for what promised to be a long week of training.


End file.
